Page 32 - Read Online

Calderwood et al. Plast Aesthet Res 2021;8:40 Plastic and
DOI: 10.20517/2347-9264.2021.14
Aesthetic Research

Review Open Access

Overview of magnetic resonance lymphography for
imaging lymphoedema

2
2
1
Alyssa Calderwood , Belinda Thompson , Kevin Ho-Shon , Hiroo Suami 2
1
Department of General Surgery, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
2
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
Correspondence to: Prof. Hiroo Suami, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Level 1, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie
University, 2109 NSW, Australia. E-mail: hiroo.suami@mq.edu.au
How to cite this article: Calderwood A, Thompson B, Ho-Shon K, Suami H. Overview of magnetic resonance lymphography for
imaging lymphoedema. Plast Aesthet Res 2021;8:40. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2021.14
Received: 23 Feb 2021 First Decision: 6 Apr 2021 Revised: 11 Jun 2021 Accepted: 28 Jun 2021 First online: 5 Jul 2021

Academic Editors: Matthew L Iorio, Isao Koshima Copy Editor: Xi-Jun Chen Production Editor: Xi-Jun Chen

Abstract
Lymphoedema is a chronic and debilitating condition commonly caused by cancer therapies, including lymph node
dissection and radiotherapy in developed countries. A range of imaging modalities is used to view the lymphatic
system for proper diagnosis, staging, and management of lymphoedema. Lymphoscintigraphy is the current gold
standard imaging modality of the lymphatic system. However, magnetic resonance lymphography (MRL) is
showing potential benefits in lymphoedema assessment and surgical planning. A literature review was compiled
from published articles, incorporating their background literature, research outcomes, and recommendations to
review the technique, application, and limitations of MRL. MRL is minimally invasive with no ionizing radiation,
providing both functional and anatomical details of the lymphatic system with a higher spatial resolution than
conventional lymphoscintigraphy. It shows promising results in the staging, surgical work-up, and surveillance for
individuals with both primary and secondary lymphoedema.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance lymphography, lymphangiography, lymphoedema, lymphatic system, imaging

INTRODUCTION
Lymphoedema is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting between 90-250 million people worldwide,
most commonly caused by malignancy and its treatment in developed countries [1-10] . It is characterised by

© The Author(s) 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

www.parjournal.net